EMSWCDhttp://emswcd.org
We help people care for land and water.Thu, 21 Feb 2019 21:27:08 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3Native Plant Sale recaphttp://emswcd.org/plant-sale-2019/
Fri, 08 Feb 2019 20:00:49 +0000http://emswcd.org/?p=24245Our 2019 Native Plant Sale was a success! With the help of our incredible volunteers, over 14,000 native trees and shrubs were distributed on February 16th, enhancing local habitat and helping keep our land and water healthier.

]]>New draft Equity Statement and comment opportunityhttp://emswcd.org/draft-equity-statement/
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 21:51:08 +0000http://emswcd.org/?p=24441In 2015 EMSWCD staff began working on awareness building, training and program development around diversity, equity and inclusion. Our communities and workplaces are strengthened by diversity, and more inclusive conservation efforts are necessary to ensure lasting and equitable outcomes. We acknowledge the historical and ongoing disparities in income, education and health in our communities. We also understand that these disparities can impact who has access to healthy land and water. For these reasons, our staff and board are committed to making meaningful changes in the work we do so that all communities can benefit from our programs.

We have recently developed a draft Equity Statement and are seeking input. We hope you will visit our new Equity page, read the draft Equity statement, and let us know if you have any comments, concerns or questions.

The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD), serving all of Multnomah County East of the Willamette River, has scheduled Board meetings and Budget, Land Legacy, and Pic Grant Review Committee meetings at the District Office (5211 N. Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217) for the months of January through June 2019.

For questions or special accommodations, please contact Chelsea at (503) 935-5376 or by email at chelsea@emswcd.org.

]]>Launch your conservation project with a Partners in Conservation grant!http://emswcd.org/2019-pic-grants/
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 23:00:30 +0000http://emswcd.org/?p=22679We are now accepting applications for the 2019 PIC Grant cycle! The Partners in Conservation (PIC) program provides funding from $5,000 to up to $100,000 to support conservation projects and conservation education in the District. Please take a look at the new 2019 PIC Guidelines to learn more. To begin your application, visit our online grants management system, ZoomGrants.

Applications are due by December 14th, 2018. We also made some changes this year to our funding model and grant categories this year. Some highlights:

PIC grant requests will be considered up to $100,000 and for up to two years of funding.

PIC Plus grants will not be offered this fiscal year.

Equity/Capacity Building will no longer be a stand-alone funding category. Equity criteria will be incorporated into other funding categories to reflect its importance in all grantmaking areas. Capacity building will be incorporated into the Environmental Education category to reflect a focus on supporting training and internal educational opportunities.

Learn more about our PIC Grant Programs and how to apply on the PIC Grants page.

]]>A note about electionshttp://emswcd.org/a-note-about-elections/
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 20:30:07 +0000http://emswcd.org/?p=22953We’ve received a number of questions about the elections this year and wish to provide some helpful information.

EMSWCD has three Board Director positions on the ballot. As identified below, there are two incumbents running for the Zone 3 and At-large 2 positions. . In addition, the Oregon Department of Agriculture has informed us that, as of November 7th, 2018, two write-in candidates had been determined eligible and one candidate’s eligibility was under review for the Zone 1 position.

This post was first published on October 26th and edited on November 1st, 2018 for clarification and to include updates on write-in candidates. The post was again edited on November 5th and November 7th, 2018 to include further updates from the Oregon Department of Agriculture on write-in candidates.

October 15th, 2018

Winter Gardening for Birds and Pollinators

The goldenrod has gone to seed, and honeybees are scouring the last of the fall asters. Here at EMSWCD, we employ a few simple practices to reduce the fall garden work and help birds and pollinators survive the winter. Read on to learn what you can do!

Did you know…

Birds feed on seeds and insects through the winter. In the spring they will need lots of insects to feed their young. You can help birds by leaving lots of habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects to shelter safely through the winter.

Adult butterflies, ladybugs, and many other beneficial insects overwinter in rock crevices, under bark, and in leaf litter. They lay their eggs in stems, on twigs, and under leaves. Pollinators and their larvae shelter in hollow standing stalks, and beetles take refuge in clumping grasses.

A natural winter garden is a healthy pollinator hotel!

What can you do?

Leave the leaves: Wherever you can, leave the leaf litter where it falls. Many adult and juvenile insects need it for shelter through the winter. Learn more about the benefits of leaf litter in this blog from The Xerces Society.

Leave the seeds: Finches, sparrows, juncos, chickadees, and many other birds will feed on the seeds of sunflowers, echinacea, black-eyed Susans, and other flowers through the winter.

Leave the stalks: Standing stalks are winter pollinator shelters, so leave them standing if you can. If you need to trim them, bundle them gently and store them upright out of the weather until you start seeing flying insects again in the spring (around the end of February or early March).

Rake, don’t blow: Wherever leaves need to be cleared, rake them instead of using a leaf blower. In addition to causing air and noise pollution, leaf blowers compact and dry out the soil surface, harming soil organisms and plants.

We are pleased to announce that our Working Farmland Protection program has closed on yet another important working farmland transaction. This September, EMSWCD acquired a 20-acre property in Corbett, ensuring a future for agriculture on this blueberry, raspberry and blackberry farm.

In the short term, the property will be made available for lease to agricultural operators. The property will likely ultimately be sold to a farmer with the protections of a working farmland easement – a legally binding blueprint for the future of the property which ensures it will remain in agricultural use. As part of the transaction, EMSWCD also secured an option to acquire a working farmland easement on another 20-acre property owned by the sellers.

The property enjoys several hundred feet of frontage along an unnamed tributary to Big Creek. EMSWCD has made significant investments in enhancing the water quality of Big Creek through its StreamCare program, which is a voluntary program with private landowners that restores native vegetation along important waterways. EMSWCD will be planting the stream corridor on this property this winter.

“We are pleased to further our working farmland protection efforts with this strategic transaction,” said Board Chair Rick Till. “This transaction fulfills many important outcomes – ensuring agriculture continues on this farm, securing an option to protect an additional 20 acres and providing an opportunity to further enhance water and habitat quality.”

EMSWCD is grateful for the interest and willingness of the property owners who made this voluntary transaction possible. “The Working Farmland Protection program has helped us plan for our retirement, provided capital for new farm operations, and ensured our properties remain in farming,” said Don and Rosie Sturm, who carefully nurtured and grew this berry farm.

EMSWCD managed and funded this transaction through the Working Farmland Protection component of its Land Legacy Program. The Working Farmland Protection Program works to secure the sustainability of the local agricultural economy by ensuring that high quality farmland remains available for use by current and future farmers. For farmers who wish to sell their property outright, EMSWCD can purchase those properties in order to avoid their conversion to other uses. And for those farmers who want to stay on the farm but would like to realize some of the value of their property, EMSWCD can purchase a working farmland easement.

]]>Now accepting applications for the Headwaters Farm Incubator Program!http://emswcd.org/headwaters-farm-2018/
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:00:19 +0000http://emswcd.org/?p=8216We are now accepting applications for the Headwaters Farm Incubator Program 2019 growing season! The Incubator Program leases farmland, equipment and other resources to individuals seeking to establish a farm business. We encourage all interested individuals to apply!

Visit the Incubator Application page for information about the program and instructions on how to apply! You can also contact Rowan Steele, our Headwaters Farm Program Manager, at rowan@emswcd.org or (503) 939-0314. All application materials are due by Wednesday, October 31st, 2018.